Implementation Of Re-Entry Policy For Adolescent Mothers In Public Secondary Schools: A Case Of Nakuru County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Each year one in every three school girls drops out of schools in Kenya due to pregnancy. Majority of these adolescent mothers are not able to go back to school after delivery. To address this issue, the Ministry of Education in 1996 released re-entry policy guidelines to ensure the smooth readmission of adolescent mothers after delivery. Years later, it was established that a significant majority of the adolescent mothers were still not attending school. This pointed to a gap or missing link between the stipulated re-entry policy and the actual practice on the ground. Assessing the implementation of the re-entry policy could help understand this missing link between the policy and the practice. The purpose of this research was to assess the factors that influence the implementation of the re-entry policy. The objectives of the study were to investigate the level of awareness of the re-entry policy in secondary schools; identify the policy gaps; determine the factors that influence implementation of the re-entry policy and seek ways in which the re-entry policy can be improved to ensure successful implementation. The research was based on the rational system approaches and the functional process model. This was a descriptive research yielding both quantitative and qualitative data. The research was carried out in Nakuru County which had 43 mixed and purely girls’ secondary schools. The study was involved 8 of these schools. A sample size of 225 respondents was obtained using the systematic and purposive sampling techniques. The participants included the County Director of Education, Assistant Education Officers, head teachers, teachers, parents and students. The data collection instruments used included survey questionnaires and key informant interviews. The quantitative data was analyzed and presented in frequencies, tables, percentages and graphs while the qualitative data was organized into thematic categories according to the objectives of the study. The research established that about half of the students were aware of the policy’s existence while the others were not. Electronic media was found to be the most effective method of disseminating information on the policy. The policy was not clearly stated and it lacked resources to help in its implementation. Shame and stigma was the most common reason given why girls do not go back to school followed by lack of support by their parents. The study concluded that the policy was difficult to implement because it lacked objectives, implementation and monitoring strategies, intended outcomes and the financial, human and legal resources to do so. The research therefore recommended that the policy be formalized, legitimized and resourced to ensure successful implementation. Awareness campaigns using the media should also be held at school and national levels.